The Apocalypse 5: Retribution
by Pinkamena666
Summary: Filled with action and brand-new characters, A5: Retribution continues the battle of the Freedom Fighters against Lightning. After his defeat, a new enemy emerges. One more powerful and more evil.
1. Train Jam

I've failed her. It should've been me. These are the thoughts that have been rolling around in Jason's head for days. It's been 10 days since the confrontation with Lightning and the remaining members of the Freedom Fighters (Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Jet, Blaze, Silver, and yes, even Shadow) have taken up shelter in an abandoned building. Jason was sitting in a swivel chair in the main office, looking out the window at where Mekkaku's base used to be. I can't believe she's gone… forever. Just then, Jet walked in. "How are you feeling?"  
>"Been better." replied Jason. "I just can't believe it's over."<br>"I know." said Jet. "It seems like it's been forever since there was some peace and quiet around here."  
>"Yeah." Jason said sadly.<br>"What's wrong with you? We successfully saved the world. Again."  
>"Success?" Jason turned the chair around to face Jet. "This is what you would call success?"<br>"Well, yeah. Why isn't it?"  
>Jason got out of his chair and headed towards the door. The last thing he said before he left was, "One of us is dead, Jet."<p>

The monorail train was making its way around the corner and arrived at its next stop. Three figures entered the train. One was a black female hedgehog with a black no-sleeved shirt and cargo pants. The second one was a male fox, about 10 years old, with a vest with skull buttons. The third one was a black female echidna. They took their seats and the train started up again.  
>"So, V. How much is it again?" the fox whispered.<br>"About 2 mill." answered V.  
>"I can hardly wait."<br>The train arrived at its next destination and 7 people got on. A kid got on and sat next to V. The kid looked up at her.  
>"Hey." said V in a kind voice. "What's you're name?"<br>"Billy." The kid answered.  
>"Well, Billy. Today very well could be the most exciting day of your life."<br>The echidna looked at her. "Now?" she asked.  
>"Almost." answered V.<br>The train stopped and let some people off. No one got on.  
>"Now." whispered V.<br>The fox stood up slowly and walked towards the front of the train. The echidna stood up and walked towards the back of the train. V stood up. The echidna pulled the emergency brake and the train slowed to a stop. The passengers all looked confused.  
>"All right everyone! Listen up!" yelled V. Everyone looked in her direction. "This is what you would call 'a robbery in progress'." This started a commotion. One guy stood up. "Sir. Please, sit down." asked V in a kind voice<br>"No. I don't have to listen to the likes of you!"  
>V pulled out a gun from her pants pocket and aimed it at the man's head. "SIT DOWN, NOW!" yelled V.<br>The man quickly sat down. "Thank you." Said V. She turned to look at everyone else. "I'm going to make a deal with each and every one of you! You will give me your complete cooperation and I will give you your freedom!"  
>The motorman opened the driver's door to see what was going on but was stopped by the fox. "Where do you think you're going?" He led the train operator back inside the motorman's booth. The echidna was working on disconnecting the train sections.<br>"Anybody have a cell phone?" asked V in a friendly voice.  
>"I do." said the kid nervously. V walked over to him and he handed her his phone. She flipped it open and dialed 9-1-1. The phone started to ring. She looked down at the frightened expression on the kid's face. She smiled at him and headed toward the back of the train.<br>"Hello? 911 emergency. How may I help you?" a voice over the phone asked.  
>"Well, hello. This is V. I just called to let you know that you have a train full of hostages just outside Station Square."<br>There was silence for about 3 seconds and then a voice spoke up. "Please hold."  
>"Oh, I will." responded V.<br>"V! How's it coming?" yelled the echidna.  
>"Where almost there, M. Couple more minutes." replied V.<br>"Hello? This is Chief Whiteman. Who is this?" asked a voice over the phone.  
>"Oh, just someone trying to make her way in the world. But names aren't important right now. Clearing all cops out of Station Square is. Call this number when it's done. You have 5 minutes to do so or someone dies."<p>

"Okay, listen up!" yelled Whiteman. "The situation is this. There is a train near Station Square being hold up by what appears to be terrorists. Now we need to clear all units out of the area in 5 minutes or a passenger dies. We have to call when it's finished. The number is 555-374-8637."  
>Everyone got right to work trying to meet the demands. Finally someone spoke up. "Sir? Did you say 555-374-8637?"<br>"Yeah, why?"  
>"Phone records show that number listed to a Billy Friedman. Oh, God. He's only 9."<p>

V sat down in an empty seat. She looked at M who was standing in the back. "M! Why don't you go keep watch on top."  
>"Why?" asked M.<br>"To be a look out." Answered V. "Don't worry. The train's not moving." said V, jokingly.  
>M walked out the back door of the train's front section, climbed up the ladder, and stood up.<br>V dialed the cops again. "Hello. Times up. Are the cops gone?"  
>"Uh, yes they are." answered Whiteman. "I thought we were going to call you."<br>"No. I just gave you the kid's number to show you just how serious the situation is. We have with us walkie-talkies. Their frequency is 68.3."  
>"68.3. Got it." responded Whiteman.<br>V walked towards the kid again. She closed the phone, opened the back, and took out the battery. "Here's your phone, kid."  
>M was walking back and forth on top of the train. Just then a figure landed a couple feet across from her. "Who are you?" asked M.<br>"The name's Raze. Raze the Swallow." answered a female's voice.  
>"Raze the Swallow? No relation to Wave the Swallow, right? The one that's been on the news with that Jason kid?"<br>"No. We're not related. We never even knew each other." Answered Raze.  
>"You look like her. You're just green instead of purple."<br>"Are we going to talk or fight?" Raze asked as she pulled out two metallic rods about 4 inches tall and 1 inch in diameter. She held them up and they opened up into a sword. She started swinging the swords and walking towards M at the same time. M held up her hands and a mystical purple energy beam shot out of her hands. Now M had two mystical swords. She ran at Raze and the fight was on. Raze swung a sword at M but was blocked. M threw a kick and missed Raze by about 3 centimeters. M then threw a punch that knocked Raze over onto her back. M thrusted her swords down but Raze slid out of the way and M's swords went through the roof of the train.

"What's going on up there?" yelled V. She fired three shots through the roof just missing M and Raze. "Prow! Start the train! Now!"  
>"You heard her, motorman. Start the train." demanded Prow.<br>The motorman did as he was told and the train started moving.  
>"Faster! Faster! Faster!" yelled V "Hang on M! We're going for a ride!"<br>The train was picking up speed as it spun around a corner. M and Raze had stopped fighting and instead were trying to not fall off.  
>"V!" yelled Prow from the motorman's booth. "We have to finish this another time!"<br>A low growl escaped V's lips. "Fine. Come on, M! We're leaving!"  
>With that demand, M shot a blast at the roof and made a hole. She stumbled over to it and fell through. She stood up and walked towards V.<br>Prow!" yelled V. "Break the controls!"  
>"You got it!" With that, the controls were no more. After breaking the train's only means of slowing down, Prow joined the two and they all jumped out of the train onto a passing platform. The train sped past them with Raze still on top. It was at this point in time where it seemed impossible to stop the train.<p> 


	2. Friendship

The train sped down the tracks. Raze hung onto the top of the train trying to think of a way to slow it down. It seemed hopeless. Just then she saw a blue blur shoot down the track.  
>"Could that be…?" Raze asked herself aloud.<br>Just then the train started to glow white and jerked to a stop. Raze looked behind her. There was a white hedgehog on the tracks behind the train. The train was stopped. Raze jumped down of the train and onto the ground below the tracks. "I probably should get out of here." said Raze aloud.  
>The white hedgehog slowly pushed the train along to a platform so the frightened passengers could get off.<p>

"WHO WAS THAT!" V screamed at her teammates.  
>"I don't know, V." answered Prow. "I didn't see her."<br>"Myst! You saw her! Who was she!"  
>"She…" she paused. "She said her name was Raze the Swallow. No relation to Wave, though."<br>"So… it seems we have a problem here. How can we do anything with a vigilante out there stopping crime?"  
>Prow looked over at the T.V. across the room. "Hey, V. Check this out." He walked over to the T.V. and turned up the volume.<br>"…as if the train hijacking wasn't enough for today, a bank nearby was robbed." the news reporter said. "The strangest thing was that the culprits were not caught on tape. If anyone has any information on who…" Prow turned the T.V. off.  
>"So," V started. "There's another team out there robbing banks, too. Now, why didn't Raze stop them?" No one answered. "I'm going for a walk outside."<br>"Are you serious? Someone'll see you." protested Myst.  
>"Myst. The cops didn't see who I was. I should be safe."<p>

"Silver! Sonic! You're back. How was it?" asked Jason.  
>"Exhilarating." answered Sonic.<br>"Hey, Jason. There's something I think you should know." said Silver.  
>"What?"<br>"I saw someone on top of the train. It looked like… Wave."  
>"Wave? But… she's dead, Silver."<br>"What if she…" started Silver.  
>"SHE'S DEAD! I SAW IT HAPPEN! The whole place exploding. Debris everywhere. I remember it well. We were running down a hallway that led outside. Wave was right next to me. Things started falling all around us. Wave tripped and fell. I went to go get her." His voice was breaking up. He started crying. "I was right next to her when it happened." Jason stopped. His eyes were all wet with tears. "I have to go." He then walked out the front door of the building.<br>The sunlight was blinding to his eyes. He exited the building and started walking down the sidewalk. He wasn't watching where he was going and bumped into someone.  
>"Oh, uh. I'm sorry." Jason apologized.<br>"It's okay." said a female voice. "Hey. Are you okay? You look sad."  
>"I'm fine. I was just thinking about someone close to me who died."<br>"Who was it?"  
>"Wave. You may have heard of her on the news?"<br>"Wave the… swallow?"  
>"Yeah, that's her."<br>"Hmm. You need some company?" asked the female.  
>"I could use some company."<br>"Name's Viper. Viper the Hedgehog."  
>"I'm Jason."<br>They shook hands and started walking. "Hey. I know somewhere we could go to cheer you up." replied Viper.  
>"Really? Where?" asked Jason.<br>"You'll see."

Silver walked down a hall and entered a big room that was used for storage when the building was being used. Everything was cleared out. Jason and friends were using this big space for a place to sleep. There was someone still asleep in there. Silver walked over to her and knelt down. "Blaze? You're still asleep?"  
>"No." she replied. "Just resting."<br>"You've been in here for hours. What's wrong?"  
>"I was just thinking… about Wave. I can't believe how Jason must feel."<br>"Not good. Jason's gone for a walk outside. Didn't say when he'll be back."  
>Blaze didn't say anything. She just got up and left the room.<p>

"Where are we going?" asked Jason. "Are we there yet?"  
>"Yes. Yes we are." replied Viper.<br>"This… is a restaurant."  
>"Yeah. I'm hungry. Aren't you?"<br>Jason looked at her and then at the door. "Famished."  
>They entered the restaurant and a waitress came over and led them to their seat. "Susan will be over. She'll be taking care of you this evening."<br>"Thank you." replied Viper as the waitress walked away. "Did you see her face?"  
>"She's probably not used to seeing a human and a hedgehog together." replied Jason.<br>"Probably not." Viper said through a laugh.  
>Then their waitress walked over. "Hi, I'm Susan. May I take your order?"<p>

Raze sat down on a bench in the park, thinking about the day's events, wondering why she ran away. "Why didn't I stay and say thanks?" she asked herself.  
>A teenage girl was walking by but stopped when she saw Raze. "Hey. You look like that bird on the news. What's her name? Uh…"<br>"Wave?" Raze cut in. "Yeah, well, I'm not. Okay? I get that all the time."  
>"Well, then, who are you?"<br>"I'm Raze. What's your name?" Raze asked.  
>"Name's Fiona." the teen answered. "Fiona Fox."<p>

"So what happened to Wave?" Viper asked before taking a bite of her hamburger.  
>"I don't really want to talk about it." Jason said after taking a sip of Coke.<br>"Well, you have to tell someone or it's gonna drive ya nuts."  
>Jason sighed. "Fine. It happened 10 days ago at the abandoned weapons factory. I was fighting against Lightning and I told the others to go while I hold him off. Well, while I had my back turned, Lightning escaped my grasp, hit a button on a control panel, and took off down a hallway. We chased him down the hall while the place was blowing up. We almost made it outside when Wave tripped on a piece of debris that fell in our way. I was almost by her side when a massive piece of debris fell in my way. The others had escaped while I tried to get to her. I was right there, and then the whole place blew." Jason's eyes were wet with tears now. "I survived, but there was no sign of Wave. The explosion was so powerful she must have vaporized from it."<p>

Viper took her hand and put it on Jason's. "I'm so sorry."  
>"Yeah. So was I. Every second of every day I think about her."<br>After a couple minutes, when they had finished eating, they walked outside. They started walking down the sidewalk and then Viper led him into an alley.  
>"Where are we going?" Jason asked.<br>"I got a surprise for you." Viper answered. She led him to a door. "Wait here." she said as she entered the door. She came out about a minute later holding a purple jewel. "Here. I want you to have this." said Viper. Handing the jewel to Jason.  
>"What is it?" asked Jason<br>"A gift. From one friend to another." answered Viper.  
>"Thank you." Jason replied.<br>"Your welcome. Well I have to go." She gave Jason a hug. "See you later." With that, she walked away.  
>Jason looked at the jewel Viper gave him. It was extremely shiny and pretty. "Yeah. I hope so." He then turned around and headed back to the building for a good night's sleep.<p> 


	3. The Blades

"So, you're name's Fiona Fox?" Raze asked.  
>"Yes. But you can just call me Fiona."<br>"Well, Fiona, I have to go."  
>"Where are you going?" asked Fiona.<br>"Home." answered Raze.  
>"Can I come with you?" Fiona quickly asked. "I have nowhere to go."<br>"Sure. Yeah, I… guess."  
>Raze got up off the park bench and headed home, with Fiona right beside her.<p>

"Jason. How was your walk?" asked Blaze.  
>"Hey. You're awake." replied Jason. "Oh, uh, the walk. Right. Um… it was fun. Made a friend, so…"<br>"Well, that's nice. What's this friend's name?"  
>"Her name's Viper. She took me to a restaurant and then she gave me this." He showed Blaze the purple jewel Viper gave him.<br>"Hmm. It's beautiful. I think she likes you, Jason." Blaze teased.  
>"Oh, come on."<br>"I'm serious. That jewel seems pretty valuable to just give to a friend."  
>"Well… dead or alive, Wave's the only one for me."<p>

Raze led Fiona into a cave. "Well, this is my home. I know it's not much."  
>"I don't really care where I am, as long as I'm with somebody."<br>"So, Fiona. What's your story?" Raze asked.  
>"Me? Um… my life's really complex.<br>"I have time."  
>"Well, it all started with Robotnik's rise to power. I was captured when I was very young along with several others. I was used as a test subject for creating robotic clones. There was a breakout that involved Sonic and a few others. They left me in the prison cell to die."<br>"Wait." Raze cut in. "Sonic left you to die in a prison cell?"  
>"Yes. And I hated him for that. I hated him a lot. Well, a few years later I broke out."<br>"How?" asked Raze.  
>"Over the years I dug my way out. Then I met Nic the Weasel. We hung out for a time but went our separate ways. But then I met someone." She paused and then said with a smile, "We fell in love."<br>"Well, that's nice." Raze said sweetly.  
>"What happened next wasn't. Our own teammates betrayed us and he was sent back to his home world which left me all lost and alone once again. And now here I am."<br>"Wow. You had a hard life, huh?"  
>"You bet. I'm just glad I'm not alone."<p>

"So you gonna see her tomorrow?"  
>"Blaze, I told you. We're just friends." He paused. "Maybe. I don't know."<br>"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Blaze asked.  
>"She said 'see you later' so I assume she'll find me. I mean, I don't even know where she lives."<p>

It was dark out now, the perfect time of the day for a black hedgehog to move around unnoticed.  
>"Where are they?" Shadow asked himself. He used Chaos Control to teleport on top of a building.<br>"Well, who could this be?" a voice asked.  
>Shadow turned around and saw a grayish-black female hedgehog standing at the center of the roof. "Who are you?" Shadow asked.<br>"I'm Rogue. Rogue the Hedgehog. And you are?"  
>"None of your business." Shadow shot back.<br>"Well, that was mean."  
>"I don't have time for you." Shadow said as he walked past her. "I'm on a mission."<br>"To find the ones responsible for the train hijacking?" Rogue asked inquisitively.  
>"Yeah." Shadow said as he turned to face her. "What do you know about it?"<br>"I know they call themselves the Skulls."  
>"Yeah?" said Shadow. "What about the robbery? Did the Skulls have anything to do with that?"<br>Rogue just smiled.

Jason woke up. He had yet another dream about Wave. He looked around the room and saw that everyone else was asleep… except for Shadow. Jason stood up and walked out of the room. He walked down the hall to the cafeteria for a drink. When he got to the kitchen, he opened the fridge and got himself a glass of milk.

"Hey, Jason." said a voice.  
>Jason quickly shut the fridge and looked to see who it was. "Viper. What are you doing here?"<br>"Couldn't sleep. I was lonely. Here I am."  
>"Ah."<br>"Couldn't sleep either?" Viper quickly asked.  
>"No. I, uh… had a bad dream."<br>"About Wave?" Viper asked sympathetically.  
>"Yeah." Jason said with a sigh. "I've been having the same dream for the past 10 days. I can't take it anymore."<br>"I think I know somewhere we could go to take your mind off things." Viper said.  
>"Where now? Another restaurant?" Jason asked jokingly.<br>"Mmm. You'll see." Viper said with a smile.

"So, Raze. What do you do here?"  
>"I sleep and wait for something to happen. That's it."<br>"Sounds kinda boring. Just waiting."  
>"Well, a job like this requires no attachments. Wave was lucky, you know. She had someone. Too bad she died. I would've loved to meet her." Just then there was an explosion. "Whoa. Duty calls." She headed to the cave's entrance and turned around. "Wanna come with?" she asked Fiona.<br>"Sure. Why not. I could use some action."

Jason and Viper were walking through the park when they heard the explosion.  
>"Whoa. Gotta go." Jason said, taking off towards the explosion.<br>"Hey! Wait for me!" Viper yelled, running after him.

"You're such an idiot, Rave! You're supposed to blow it AFTER we leave." The red hedgehog yelled at the female weasel.  
>"Sorry, Dess." apologized Rave. "What do we do now?"<br>"Maverick!" Dess yelled at the other team member.  
>"How about we-" Dess began.<br>"Stay right where you are." a voice suggested.  
>"WHO'S THERE?" yelled Dess.<br>"Name's Jason. Who are you?"  
>"I'm your worst nightmare!" Dess said as he lifted up a staff he was holding. It was a metal rod with three sharp daggers at the end. Kind of like a triton. An energy blast shot out of it. Jason jumped out of the way just in time. If he had delayed, who knows what would have happened. Dess ran at Jason, swinging his staff. Jason leaped over him, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and flung him forwards. Dess slammed into a building across the street. Rave pulled out two oddly-shaped pistols and started firing. Just then Viper appeared. She also pulled out a weapon. Hers was a pistol with a long barrel. She fired off a couple shots. To Jason's surprise, the bullets from Viper's gun knocked the bullets from Rave's gun right out of the air. All the bullets fell to the ground.<br>"Bulls-eye." Viper said.  
>"Impossible." Rave gasped.<br>"Incredible." Jason said in amazement.  
>The third member of the opposing group, Maverick, stepped forward. He was a red hedgehog, too. At that moment Raze appeared. She didn't stay still for very long, which made it difficult for Jason to see her clear enough. She took off towards Rave. Dess climbed out of the hole he had made in the building and took off towards Jason. Viper lunged at the other red hedgehog and the fight was on. Jason versus Dess, Viper versus Maverick, and Raze versus Rave.<p> 


	4. A New Ally

Dess swung his staff but Jason jumped over it. Rave pulled out a knife and swung at Raze. Raze dodged each attack and performed an uppercut to Rave's jaw, sending her into the air. She hit the ground with a thud. Maverick threw some punches. Viper caught the last one then pulled him in closer and head-butted him in the forehead. The fight went on and on. Each team both fighting vigorously.  
>"I wish I could do something." Fiona thought aloud. "It's boring just standing here, watching."<br>"ENOUGH!" shouted Dess. Everyone stopped fighting. "This has gone on long enough!" He turned and looked at Fiona.  
>"Uh, oh." Fiona said softly.<br>In a flash, Dess was by her side. He grabbed her by the neck. "Okay, Jason. You seem to be the leader. Tell your team to stand down."  
>"Actually, Dess. We're not affiliated. Okay? Viper and I just met and as for the green bird… I never saw her before in my life. So…"<br>"I DON'T CARE!" Dess yelled. "JUST TELL THEM!"  
>"Uh… okay." Jason looked over at Viper and Raze. "Guys?"<br>Viper lowered her weapon and Raze just stepped back from Rave.  
>"You did the right thing, Jason."<br>Just then, a blue blur knocked Dess over. He let go of Fiona and she fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath.  
>"WHO ARE YOU?" Dess yelled.<br>"I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."  
>Fiona looked up. "Sonic?" she asked softly.<br>"Fiona?" came a voice.  
>She turned around. "Tails?"<br>Tails flew over to her. "Are you alright?"  
>"Yeah, I think."<br>"You know, Dess. It's not polite to hit a girl." said Sonic, in his usual arrogant way.  
>"SONIC!" exclaimed Dess. "I've heard about you. You're supposed to be the fastest thing alive."<br>"What? You want a race?" asked Sonic.  
>"How about I tell you that there is a bomb in a building nearby and you have about two minutes to disarm it. If you're the fastest thing alive, you should be able to find it and disarm it in time."<br>With that, Sonic was off. Jason looked over at Tails. "Is she alright?"  
>"Yeah. She's fine." answered Tails.<br>Jason looked over at Raze. He didn't look long because she soon took off.  
>"Wait!" yelled Jason. He then took off after her, leaving Tails alone with Fiona and Viper.<p>

Sonic took off towards the nearest buildings, searching for the bomb while Jason took off after Raze. He was not going to let her out of his sight. He followed her into town. They leaped from rooftop to rooftop. Jason stopped at the edge of the roof of the building he was standing on.  
>"WAIT!" Jason yelled. Raze stopped just before jumping to another building. She turned around to look at him. "I just have to something." Raze didn't say anything. "Are you really Wave?" he asked. Raze started walking towards him. He just watched as she came into the light that was emitting from one of the lights on the roof. He just noticed as she approached that she was green and not purple. Her pants looked the same as Wave's but were Red with a different design on the pant leg. Her shirt was red. Her gloves were orange with a purple patch. "You're not Wave." Jason said as she stopped inches in front of him.<br>"No, Jason." she said in a kind voice. "I'm sorry, but…" she paused. "She really is dead."  
>Jason just looked at the ground. "I didn't even get to say 'I love you'."<br>Raze put her hand under his chin and raised his head up. "I'm sure she knew you did."  
>"I know she did. I just wish I could've told her."<br>Raze just looked at him and lowered her hand. "I have to go." she said as she turned to leave.  
>Jason gently grabbed her wrist and she turned around again. "Please don't go."<br>"What?" Raze asked softly.  
>"For reasons not needed to explain," Jason began. "you remind me of Wave."<br>Raze looked at Jason for about a minute and then said, "Okay. I'll stay."

"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?" Sonic kept muttering to himself. He'd searched all the buildings in the area. "He lied." Sonic said as he came to a stop. He took off again towards Freedom Fighters HQ.  
>Tails saw Sonic go by. "We have to go, Fiona."<br>"I know, Tails." She said.  
>Fiona stood up. Tails and Fiona started walking but then Tails turned around and looked at Viper. "You coming, too?" he asked.<br>"I guess." Viper said with a sigh.  
>And the three headed home.<p>

Back at FFHQ, everyone sat in the lounge and just rested.  
>"That was fun." Sonic said sarcastically.<br>"So, who are you?" Fiona asked Viper.  
>"My name's Viper." she replied.<br>"So, Viper." Jason started. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"  
>"Oh, I used to go to firing ranges and practice. I surprised a lot of people."<br>"Yeah?" Jason asked. "Goin' around, shooting bullets out of the air. I bet you did."  
>Raze just looked around the room, got up and headed down the hall. Jason saw her and he followed. Finally he caught up to her.<br>"Raze? Something wrong?" he asked.  
>"No." Raze said with a yawn. "I'm just tired."<br>"Well, the bedroom's in that direction." he said as he pointed behind him.  
>Jason led Raze to the room where they sleep. "Here. You can have mine." Raze slipped into the sleeping bag and fell asleep.<p>

"That was really quick thinking, Dess." Rave commented.  
>Dess didn't say anything. He just sat down at his desk. He put an elbow up on the desk and rested his head in his hand.<br>"Something wrong, Dess?" Rave asked.  
>"Who was that hedgehog?" Dess asked.<br>"Who? Sonic?" Rave asked.  
>"NO!" Dess said as he slammed his fist onto the desk, which made Rave flinch. "THE BLACK ONE!"<br>"I'm not sure." Rave answered nervously.  
>"WELL GET SURE!" yelled Dess as he leaned forward. "GO AND FIND OUT WHO SHE IS! NOW!" he yelled as he pointed to the door.<br>Rave quickly left the room. Dess leaned back in his seat and sighed.  
>"Unbelievable." He muttered.<br>Rave walked past Maverick. "Got him mad again?"  
>"Oh, shut up." Rave said as she left their hideout.<p>

Jason sat back down in the lounge chair he was sitting in before.  
>"What was wrong with Raze?" asked Viper.<br>"Nothing. She was just tired." answered Jason.  
>"Well, I should be getting back to my place." Viper said as she stood up.<br>"You're leaving so soon?" Jason asked.  
>Viper looked at him. "Don't worry, Jason. You'll see me again." She said with a smile as she turned around and left.<br>Jason looked over at Blaze who was giving him a look.  
>"What?" he asked her. She said nothing. "I'm going to bed, too." he said, and left.<p> 


	5. Bank Brawl

Viper went back to the alley where she gave Jason the jewel. She opened a door and entered. There was a flight of stairs that led down. When Viper made it to the bottom she walked through a door.  
>"Hey, Viper. You're back." said Myst.<br>Viper didn't respond. She just continued making her way to her room. When she got there, she lay on top of her bed and just looked at the ceiling.  
>"I hope you're not developing feelings for the boy, Viper." came a voice.<br>She quickly stood up and turned around. "Lightning!" exclaimed Viper. "Uh… no. Of course not." She stammered.  
>"Because we can't let feelings get in the way of our plans." Lightning said as he walked towards Viper. "Isn't that right, V?" he said as she sat back down.<br>"Yes." She said nervously.  
>Lightning looked into her eyes. "Are you afraid of me?" he said with a smile.<br>"Yes." Viper said softly.  
>"Hmm. Good." replied Lightning. "You should be. You do know what'll happen if you fail me, right?"<br>"No. What?" Viper asked nervously.  
>"Use your imagination." Lightning said with a smile. He then turned around and left the room. Viper lay back down on her bed.<br>The next morning Viper got out of bed and woke up Prowler and Myst.  
>"Okay, listen up. Today is the day we rob that bank." She announced.<br>"Are you sure?" asked Prow.  
>"Yes!" yelled Viper. "I'm sure."<br>So the three geared up and left their hideout in the alley, using the shadows to avoid being seen. Little did they know that they were being watched by a weasel and a hedgehog, both of whom were unaware of each other's presence. It was still a little dark out which made it easier for the Skulls to make their way to the bank without being seen. Viper snuck up behind the guard standing watch out front and whacked him on the back of his head with her gun, knocking him out. Prowler approached the front doors and picked the lock. The three entered the bank, setting of the silent alarm.

Jason sat down in the chair in the main office again, pulled out a red cell phone, and placed it on the table, just like he always does every morning. Raze walked in.  
>"Jason." she said with a yawn. "What are you doing?"<br>"I'm waiting."  
>"Waiting for what?"<br>"A call from the cops."  
>Raze looked at the phone. "Oh, is that…" she paused. "What is that?"<br>"This," Jason began as he put his hand on the phone. "is a cell phone. The cops gave it to me after I saved the world for the third time. In case something big happens and they need my help, they'll call." Just then the phone rang. "Like that." Jason said quickly. He answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Where's the vault, Prow?" asked Viper.  
>"It should be over there." Prow replied.<br>The trio walked over to the vault door and Prowler took out some bombs and placed them on the door. The three stepped back and the bombs went off, knocking the door off its hinges.  
>"Quick. Someone could've heard that." Viper whispered.<br>Each member grabbed two bags of money and started to leave. Just then a guard appeared from a room and pointed a gun at Viper.  
>"Hands up! Don't move!" the guard yelled.<br>"As you wish." Viper said, placing the bags of money on the ground and putting her hands in the air.  
>The guard approached with hand cuffs. When he was close enough, Viper spun around, knocked the gun out of the guard's hand and grabbed him by the neck. The guard dropped the cuffs.<br>"Viper?" came a voice from behind.  
>The trio turned towards the front doors.<br>"Jason." Viper said with a smile. "Fancy seeing you hear."  
>"Let him go." demanded Jason.<br>Viper dropped the guard and he took off.  
>"What do you think you're doing?" asked Jason. "Robbing banks? This isn't the Viper I know."<br>"The Viper you know is a fake, Jason. This is the real me." she said as she pulled out her gun and aimed it at Jason.  
>"You know, I can't let you leave with that money, right?" asked Jason.<br>"Oh, come on." replied Viper. "Remember our little fight with the Blades? You saw how accurate I can be. Now step aside."  
>Jason stood his ground. "No."<br>"Very well, then." Viper said.  
>Just then the front doors flew off their hinges, knocking Jason to the ground.<br>"VIPER!" a voice yelled.  
>Jason turned around and saw Lightning.<br>"YOU!" yelled Jason. Lightning paid no attention to him.  
>"Viper. You're supposed to be getting the prototype weapon from the military base! Not robbing banks!"<br>"Prototype weapon?" Jason asked himself aloud. Lightning looked over at him.  
>"Ah, Jason! Long time, no see." Lightning said with a smile. He raised his hand and shot a lightning bolt at him. Jason rolled out of the way just in time. He stood up and was about to charge at Lightning but stopped.<br>"That's right, Jason." Lightning teased. "You can't touch me, remember? Not without getting fried."  
>Jason looked around for anything he could use as a weapon. He spotted a chunk of the wall where the front doors hit. He used his psychokenesis powers and threw the chunk at Lightning. Lightning raised his palm to the flying wall chunk. On impact with Lightning's hand, the chunk exploded into dust and fell to the ground.<br>"You'll have to do much, MUCH better than that." Lightning said with a smile, as he lowered his fist.  
>Jason turned to look at Viper, only she was standing right in front of him, now. She punched him right in the face, knocking him to the ground. Lightning raised his fists and started attacking Jason with lightning. Since lightning is Jason's weakness, he could hardly move. After a while he blacked out.<p>

When he opened his eyes, he was chained to a wall. He could tell by the texture of the stone that he was underground. He tried to free himself but it was no use. He looked at the chains and realized something; the chains were made of some kind of energy.  
>"So this is why I can't break these chains." Jason thought aloud.<br>"Very good, Jason. I knew you were smart." Viper walked towards him.  
>"You!" Jason yelled.<br>"Hello." Viper said, waving her hand.  
>"When I get out of here," Jason began. "I'm gonna kill you myself."<br>"Hmm." Viper replied. She turned around to see Lightning walk into the room.  
>"How's our favorite hero?" Lightning asked with a smile.<br>"Lightning! You're gonna pay for Wave's death!" Jason yelled.  
>"Me?" Lightning asked. "No. Wave's death was your fault, Jason. If you kept out of mybusiness and my factory, she would still be alive. If you want to look at the one really responsible for her death, you need only look into a mirror."<br>Jason tried to grab him but the chains burned his wrists, causing him to stop.  
>"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Jason. These chains were made specifically to hold you." said Lightning. "These chains start off like regular chains, but when pressure is applied, they zap you with lightning. Think of them as shock collars for dogs." Lightning turned around to leave. "I think I'll pay Jason's friends a little visit, Viper. Make sure he doesn't move." and he left.<br>Viper sat down in a chair and watched Jason. His mind was filled with thoughts of his friends back at FFHQ. This gave him a significant amount of strength. He pulled his arms away from the wall, causing the cuffs to zap him with a constant surge of lightning that any normal human would not survive.  
>"Haven't you learned?" asked Viper. "You can't break free."<br>Jason paid no attention to her. He kept applying pressure on the cuffs, using all his strength to try and break free. The pain was excruciating. He wanted to stop but e knew that his friends' lives were at stake. With a few more pulls and a few more screams, the cuffs burst apart and Jason fell to the ground. His whole body was smoking. Viper quickly stood up and ran to the door.  
>"VIPER!"<br>She turned around and saw Jason standing there. She pulled out her gun and fired. Jason caught the bullets in the air using his psychokinetic powers. Viper ran at him and threw a punch. Jason caught her fist and bent it back, almost to the breaking point. Viper screamed in pain, hoping he wouldn't break her wrist. He pushed down on her wrist. This forced Viper to her knees. Jason, using his free hand, picked up Viper's gun and aimed at her forehead. He looked into her eyes and saw every memory he had with her; the walk in the park, the fight with the Blades. Using his powers he kept the gun suspended in the air while he reached in his pocket and pulled out the purple jewel.  
>"You know, I was going to keep this but seeing as how none of it was real, I think you should have it back."<br>He threw the jewel at Viper and she caught it with her free hand. She looked at the jewel and then back at Jason.  
>"So, are you?" She asked in a frightened voice. "Going to kill me?"<br>He looked into her eyes and could tell that this fear was real. That she wasn't faking.  
>"No. I'm not." answered Jason.<br>The gun fell to the floor and Jason let go of her wrist. She clutched her wrist in her hand, trying to hold back tears. Jason looked at her for a second and then left the room.


	6. The Decision

"Hey, Blaze?" asked Raze.  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Where's Jason?"  
>"I don't know." answered Blaze. "The last time I saw him he was heading to the bank."<br>A rumble awoke Sonic and the rest of the gang. Just then a wall exploded and debris went everywhere. They all ran into the lobby. They all looked at the big hole in the wall. Just then Lightning flew in.  
>"Hello, Sonic." Lightning said with a smile.<p>

Jason was getting closer to the building. He turned a corner and stopped. The building was on fire. He only stayed still for a few more seconds and took off.  
>He entered the building and searched everywhere.<br>"Blaze!" Jason yelled. "Sonic! Raze! Anybody!"  
>He went back to the lobby and found a small black dome sitting on the table. He slowly went over to it. He reached out his hand to pick it up but the dome opened up and a holographic figure appeared.<br>"Lightning!" yelled Jason.  
>"Jason. If you are seeing this message it means that you were too late to stop me. However, there's still time to save your friends. Meet me at the power plant 5 miles east from this location. You have 5 minutes before I start killing them." He smiled. "See you real soon." And the hologram ended.<p>

"Let us go, Lightning!" Raze yelled.  
>They were chained up to a wall overlooking a power generator.<br>"Go? I don't think so. You're lucky I'm letting you live." said Lightning.  
>"You're not gonna get away with this. Jason will be here soon."<br>"Oh, my dear Raze." said Lightning. "I'm counting on it."  
>"I think you're just too scared to fight us in a fair fight." Raze said.<br>"Raze." Fiona whispered. "Don't intimidate him."  
>Just then Viper walked in.<br>"Well, hello Raze."  
>"Viper? What are you doing?" asked Raze. "I thought you were on our side."<br>Viper was about to say something when the front door flew off its hinges and Jason ran in.  
>"LIGHTNING!" yelled Jason.<br>"Glad you decided to come. You had 1 minute left."  
>"Jason!" screamed Raze and Blaze with delight.<br>"Hey, guys." He turned to look back at Lightning. "I'm gonna kill you, Lightning."  
>"Really?" Lightning asked. "Viper?"<br>Viper pulled out her gun and fired at Jason. He dodged the bullets and charged at Viper. He threw a punch and so did Viper. Not paying attention to which hand she was using, her hurt hand collided with Jason's fist. She let out a short scream. Viper quickly grabbed her wrist. Jason drop-kicked her and she fell to the ground, making sure not to land on her wrist. Jason turned around and saw Prowler and Myst. Prowler reached in his inside vest pocket and pulled out four throwing knives. He threw them at Jason. Jason pulled out his sword and blocked three of them. The fourth one hit his shoulder. The three throwing knives that he blocked flew back into Prowler's hand. Jason grabbed the knife in his shoulder and threw it at Prowler. The fox slid under it and threw the remaining knives at Jason. Jason jumped over the knives and launched an energy sphere at Prowler, sending him flying into the wall behind him. Jason clutched his shoulder. Myst took a steel pipe that was lying next to her and ran at Jason. Jason saw her coming and held his sword vertically. Myst swung the pipe and Jason stepped to the side. Jason raised his sword and at the same time a sword formed in Myst's hand. Jason swung and Myst blocked. Lightning started walking towards the fight. Myst swung her sword and Jason raised his sword. The force from Myst's swing knocked the sword out of Jason's hands. Myst swung again but this time Jason grabbed the blade with his hand. Myst then quickly pulled the sword back, cutting Jason's hand. Jason let out a cry of pain. Lightning ran at Jason and knocked him into the wall behind him. Jason hit the wall with a thud and slid down the wall into a sitting position. Viper sat up, grabbed her gun, and walked towards Jason. Lightning launched a couple of lightning bolts at Jason to keep him from moving.  
>"Viper. Finish him." ordered Lightning.<br>Viper raised her weapon to Jason's head.  
>"Before I kill you, there's something I want to know." she said. "Why, after I told you that none of it was real, did you let me live?" she asked.<br>Jason looked at her for a second and then said, "Because it was real to me."  
>This caught Viper by surprise.<br>"What are you saying?" asked Viper.  
>"Well, I care about you, Viper. You're the first person I was able to connect with since Wave."<br>Viper started to lower her gun but raised it again.  
>"Viper! KILL HIM, NOW!" yelled Lightning.<br>"Viper." Jason said softly. "The time has for you to choose a side. Lightning…" Jason said. "…or me?"  
>Viper looked at Lightning and then back at Jason. After a minute she lowered her gun.<br>"VIPER!" Lightning yelled. "What are you doing? KILL HIM!"  
>"I can't." Viper said as she threw her gun away.<br>Jason and Viper just looked at each other and then Jason saw something.  
>"Viper! Look out!" yelled Jason.<br>Viper turned around and Lightning whacked her into a machine. She hit the machine and yelled with pain. Her hurt hand was in between her body and the machine. She fell to the floor, this time being careful not to touch her wrist at all. She just lay on the floor with tears in her eyes, crying softly. Jason crawled over to her.  
>"Viper? You okay?"<br>Viper just shook her head.  
>"Let me see." Jason said as he slowly lifted her wrist, causing her to yelp with pain.<br>"Sorry." Jason said as slowly lowered her hand. "I think it's broken."  
>"Jason, I-" Viper started.<br>"Hey, it's okay." Jason interrupted. "I'm gonna get all of us and leave here, including you. And your friends if they want to come, too."  
>"JASON!" Lightning yelled.<br>Jason turned around and Lightning grabbed him and started shocking him with lightning. Viper slowly got up and went over to a control panel near the wall that Jason's friends were chained to. She pushed a button and the chains opened and Sonic and friends fell to the ground. Lightning stopped and threw Jason to the ground. Blaze launched fireballs and Silver threw metal pipes at Lightning. Jason got up, went over to Viper and walked her out of the factory.  
>"COME ON GUYS! WE'RE LEAVING!" Jason yelled to his friends.<br>They all turned to look at him. Silver, using psychokenesis, picked up a machine and threw it at Lightning. Then they all ran out of the building. Lightning threw the machine off of him and stood up. He looked over at Prowler and Myst.  
>"At least I know I can trust you guys."<p>

When Jason, Sonic, and all the others arrived at the abandoned building, there were cops everywhere. Jason looked at Viper.  
>"There's only one way you can join us, Viper."<br>Viper looked at him. "What's that?"  
>"You'll have to turn yourself in."<br>"What?" Viper asked. "Are you serious? Turn myself in?"  
>"Yes. If you willingly turn yourself in, there's a chance you'll get out of jail sooner. Right now, you have to gain their trust. As much as I like you, the cops can't see me with you. You understand, right?"<br>Viper sighed. "Yeah, I guess."  
>Viper walked towards the police. One of the cops spotted her.<br>"Are you alright?"  
>"My wrist is broken, other than that I'm fine."<br>"What's your name?" the cop asked.  
>"Viper." She paused and looked at Jason and then turned back around. "But my friends call me V."<p> 


	7. A New Home

When Jason, Sonic, and all the others arrived at the abandoned building, there were cops everywhere. Jason looked at Viper.  
>"There's only one way you can join us, Viper."<br>Viper looked at him. "What's that?"  
>"You'll have to turn yourself in."<br>"What?" Viper asked. "Are you serious? Turn myself in?"  
>"Yes. If you willingly turn yourself in, there's a chance you'll get out of jail sooner. Right now, you have to gain their trust. As much as I like you, the cops can't see me with you. You understand, right?"<br>Viper sighed. "Yeah, I guess."  
>Viper walked towards the police. One of the cops spotted her.<br>"Are you alright?"  
>"My wrist is broken, other than that I'm fine."<br>"What's your name?" the cop asked.  
>"Viper." She paused and looked at Jason and then turned back around. "But my friends call me V."<br>"V?" the cop asked. "We're going to have to take you in."  
>Jason watched as the cop slowly approached Viper.<br>"Why is he moving so slow?" asked Sonic.  
>"Because she thinks Viper will fight back."<br>"But... is she?" asked Tails, looking at Jason.  
>They watched as Viper entered the police car. The car took off towards the hospital.<br>"No, Tails. I don't think she is." Jason said as he walked away from the burning building. The others followed.  
>"What now?" asked Jet.<br>"I know a place." said Raze. Everyone turned to look at her. "It's... where I've been living."  
>Jason looked at her for a minute then spoke up. "All right. Where is it?"<p>

Raze led them to the cave where she's been staying.  
>"I know it's not exactly much, but..." said Raze.<br>"It'll do." said Jason. "Thanks, Raze."  
>"No problem." said Raze with a smile.<br>So they spent the night in a cave next to a forest.

Rave leaped from branch to branch, trying to find Jason and Viper. She didn't want to get Dess mad again.  
>"Where are you guys?" she asked. She continued her search until she noticed a flicker of light coming from a cave in the forest. "Gotcha." she said to herself.<p>

The team was grouped around a fire in the cave.  
>"So, Raze," Jason started. "how long have you been... you know?"<br>"Alone?" Raze asked. "Far too long."  
>"Why haven't you tried to connect with anyone?" asked Blaze.<br>"I found that having no connections makes my job easier." Raze answered.  
>"And what is your job, exactly?" Blaze asked.<br>"To stay alive and under the radar."  
>"Not much of a job." Jason said.<br>"If only you knew." Raze said.  
>"Any family members?" Silver asked. "Anyone that might be wor-"<br>"What is this?" Raze asked. "20 Questions?" She seemed annoyed. "Is this an interview, or something?"  
>"No. Not at all." Jason said. "It's just..."<br>"It's just what?" Raze interrupted.  
>"We know nothing about you." Jason explained. "When we get a new member, we'd like to know their background."<br>"I told you about my background." Fiona said.  
>Raze looked at her and then back at Jason.<br>"Okay. I-" she started.  
>"Shh." Jason shushed. He looked toward the entrance of the cave.<br>"What is it?" asked Blaze.  
>"Oh, no." Jason said. He walked over to the fire and kicked sand on it to put it out. "I'm so stupid."<br>"What?" urged Blaze.  
>"They saw the fire." Jason said.<br>"Who did?"  
>Just then an explosion shook the cave. They all looked outside and saw smoke right outside the cave.<br>"The Blades." Jason answered.  
>"You can see that far?" Raze asked.<br>"Yeah." Jason said. "Binocular Vision. I still haven't figured out how to completely use it yet. There's still some difficulty."  
>"What do we do?" asked Blaze asked.<br>"We do what we do best." Jason said. "Fight them."  
>"Are we ready for them yet?" Raze asked. "They seemed pretty powerful. Well... Dess anyway."<br>"I have faith in you guys." Jason. "I believe you have what it takes even if you don't."  
>"If you say so." Blaze said.<br>"Let's go." Jason said, stepping out of the cave.  
>"Where are they, Rave?" Dess asked.<br>"They were around here." she answered. "I saw a fire coming from a nearby cave."  
>"Well, that must've been them." Maverick said sarcastically.<br>"Can it, Maverick!" Dess snapped back. "Now, you two. Help me find them."  
>"No need." Jason said, stepping out from behind a tree.<br>"What is this?" Dess asked.  
>"I think he wants to fight us." Maverick said.<br>"I can see that, you fool." Dess said. "But why is he alone?"  
>"Who said he's alone?" Raze asked, appearing next to Jason. Then Blaze showed up, then Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jet, Silver, and lastly, Fiona.<br>"So, you've all come to die?" Dess asked.  
>"No." Fiona said. "We've come to win. By any means necessary."<br>"Ooh." Dess said. "She's a feisty one."  
>"You have no idea." Fiona said.<br>"Really?" Dess asked.  
>"Are we gonna talk or fight?" Rave asked.<br>"You know, you're right." Dess said. "For once. Let's cut the chatter before I get madder."  
>He swiped his staff horizontally in the air in front of him, sending out an energy rift. Jason threw a fireball at it but it didn't do anything. The group ducked and the rift sliced through the nearby tree, causing it to crack and fall.<br>"What was that?" asked Sonic.  
>"No idea." Jason said. "But this is gonna be a tough fight."<p> 


End file.
